Welcome to the Rookie Report, a weekly analysis of the NBA’s Young Gunz.

On an individual scale, the success of this rookie rookie class has been a spectrum. We have a monster rookie, a ‘what could be’ rookie, a pleasant surprise, and some dissapointments; but the majority of first-year pros have been solid, but unreliable.

Blake Griffin (the monster) has made the Clippers an anomaly: a 16-25 team that’s ‘must watch’ TV. John Wall has shown flashes of greatness, leaving us to ponder ‘what could be,’ and we’ve been pleasantly surprised by the play of Landry Fields.

Surprising, to some, are the numerous lottery picks that have been MIA (Gordon Hayward, Pat Patterson, Xavier Henry, etc). If you have serious doubt or are in panic mode about a rookie, let time take its course; if history repeats itself, everything will be good money.

The natural rookie progression is one of early struggle and late improvement. Sometimes rookies even improve exponentially during the last-third of their first NBA season. Take Marcus Thornton, for example. After an inconsistent start to his rookie campaign, from Feb. 1st onward (22 games) he recorded 16 games of 20 points or more, including outings of 28 (three times), 30, 36, and 37.

Exhibit B: Thornton’s former teammate, Darren Collison. From Feb. 1st onward, the CP3 fill-in scored in double-figures in all but two games the rest of the season, and posted double-doubles in 9 of the 22 games. He even had a 16 point, 20 assists showing.

The bad: Griffin’s streak of double-doubles ended last night at 27 games. The good: the Clippers keep winning.

Don’t be fooled. Despite his streak ending, Griffin poured in 29 points and eight rebounds against the Wolves. Even more impressive (at least to me), he helped keep rebounding machine Kevin Love to 0 first-half boards. Griffin continues to dominate, and the Clippers have quietly won 11 of 15.

Before we move forward, let’s rewind to last Friday, the first game of BG’s week (according to the ‘Rookie Report’ calender). Blake had 28 and 13 in a loss to the Warriors, then dropped 18 and 15 in a victory over the Lakers. For one night, and for many more once Kobe retires, L.A. witnessed the [B]lakeshow.

The next day, specifically MLK day, Griffin made 19 of 24 fields goals, en route to a career-high and NBA season-high 47 points. 19-24!! That’s 79.2 percent. Are you serious? According to Elias Sports Bureau, that was the highest field-goal percentage by a rookie who took at least 20 shots in an NBA game since Dec. 6, 1984, when Hakeem Olajuwon made 18 of 22 (81.8 percent) for the Rockets. Not bad company.

Griffin’s 47 points were also the second-most ever on MLK day. Gilbert Arenas dropped 51 on the Jazz in ’07. Blake now has a better career-high then Monta Ellis (46), DRose (39), and Dwight Howard (45), to name a few. Get ya buckets up fellas.

At the end of last season, I was convinced no rookie would match ‘Reke’s 20, 5, and 5 campaign, but obviously I was mistaken. Griffin has been so good so early that I frequently find myself desensitized to his highlights, which is terrible because he’s only 41 games into his career. His violation of the league should be a felony. Sorry LeBron, I’ve found someone new to witness.

John Wall

Season: 15.3 ppg, 9.3 apg, 1.8 spg

Week 12: 12.75 ppg, 11.75 apg, 1.8 spg

Just because Griffin is the main course on this years rookie menu, we shouldn’t ignore the delicious appetizer that Sir Johnathan Wall has given us.

Wall is averaging 13.8 points and 11 assists in January, and his steady play is showing in the win column. The Wizards are still winless on the road this season, but are a decent (by Washington standards) 4-5 during the first month of ’11.

The Wiz, led by Wall, got their first win against a team with a winning record when they defeated the Jazz on Monday. Wall had 19 points and tied a career-high with 15 assists, but more importantly got a win against Deron Williams, arguably the best point guard in the league.

Consistency, both individually and in the win column, will be the ultimate factor to judge John Wall. Double-figure points in 10 of the last 12 and double-figure assists in 7 of the last 12 is a good start.

DeMarcus Cousins

Season: 13 ppg, 7.7 rpg

Week 12: 13.75 ppg, 7.5 rpg

Cousins had a strong week in my book. In only 23 minutes vs. the Knicks, he posted 16 points and 10 rebounds (six offensive), albeit on 7-20 shooting. He then went toe-to-toe with fellow lottery pick Greg Monroe in a four-point loss at Detroit. Cousins has shown glimpses of dominance, but he’s been inconsistent as well. He shot an abysmal 2-11 in last night’s loss to Portland. If you look past the tolerable rookie struggles, Cousins has been one of the few bright spots on the 9-31 Sacramento Kings.

Earning a shade under half-a-million dollars this season, Harris is heavily impressing in Cleveland. The undrafted, 6-5 shooting guard from Michigan posted 16 points and 10 rebounds on Jan. 7th vs. Golden State, and followed up two nights later to the tune of 27 points and eight rebounds. Harris, along with Spurs rookie Gary Neal, may claim the title for the best undrafted rookies this year.

Notes:

-Late shout-out to two Boston rookie big-men. Luke Harangody pulled down a team-high 11 rebounds on Jan. 7th and Semih Erden led Boston with 9 rebounds a few nights later. If the inuries on the Celtics’ frontline persist, one of these two could see an increased role.

-Ed Davis is averaging 10.3 rebounds over his past three games. Davis is progressing smoothy after starting the year on the DL. You think Toronto is regretting Amir Johnson’s lofty contract yet?

-Starting in place of the injured Ben Wallace, Greg Monroe has scored in double-figures in eight straight games, a stretch that includes four double-doubles. Monroe is slowly silencing his critics, and making a strong case for Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month.

-Paul George had a career-high 16 points last Wednesday during Indiana’s win vs. Dallas. George is averaging nearly 14 minutes per game in January. Many fans (myself included) are still waiting for fellow Pacer Lance Stephenson to grace the hardwood. But don’t panic ‘Born Ready’ fans, here’s some promising news: ‘Coach Jim O’Brien said guard Lance Stephenson has developed enough in the first half of the season that he would be confident if he needed to play this season. The rookie from Cincinnati has yet to play in a regular season game, but O’Brien said he expected Stephenson to be a “very, very” big part of the team’s future.’

Road trip! This weekend, man this is very tough, this weekend I’m gonna take my talents to Portland and see the Miami Heat on Sunday night. To add to Lang’s recent links, you might be obsessed with the NBA if you drive 12 hours to see a single game.

The Spurs being the best team in the world (at least by record), kept their place atop the standings with a win over the Pacers. Manu Ginobili scored 25 points and led his team back from a 15-point deficit to snap San Antonio’s two-game losing streak and restore Popovich’s blood pressure to normal levels. Tyler Hansbrough (!) led the Pacers with an impressive 23 points and 12 boards.

The Blazers got some momentum going into their much-hyped (mostly by myself) game against Miami with a win over the Wolves. Wes Matthews scored a career-high 36 points while LaMarcus Aldridge added 28 points and 10 rebounds. Kevin Love had 30 points and 19 rebounds (do his stat lines look impressing anymore?) but his team committed 19 turnovers leading to 25 points as the Wolves have now lost 4 of their previous 5 games. How does that Matthews signing look now? The initial $34 million deal was seen as over-paying for a spark off the bench behind Brandon Roy but now is looking more like a solid move (even in unfortunate circumstances). Also, credit has to go to Aldridge for showing that Portland can run the offense through him without Roy which will now be an extended period of time. Lastly, outside the Rose Garden is a giant billboard with Roy, Aldridge, and Oden with the words “Rise With Us”. Any chance they can plaster Wes’ face over Roy’s and Camby‘s over Oden? Not sure if I’ve said this enough, but the Blazers play the Heat on Sunday night, and I’d like to think my presence will make a huge difference in the game.

With a loss to the Sixers, the Bulls have admitted the obvious: they miss Joakim Noah. Despite Derrick Rose scoring 27 points and dishing 9 assists and Boozer holding it down with 31 points and 12 rebounds, the Sixers got production from up and down Doug Collins’ dept chart as five players finished in double figures. I scored as much points as Chicago got from the center position (zero) which coincidentally ties my NBA career-high record. Jodie Meeks led Philly with 24 points while human double-figure scoring machine Lou Williams added 20 off the bench. The Sixers decided to try to win the game with a sizzling third quarter as Meeks and Holiday (19 points, 6 assists) shot 7 of 7 for 18 points in the quarter to turn a 4-point deficit into a 12-point lead. Chicago got within 5 in the 4th quarter but the Sixers held on and converted at the free-throw line for the win.

Rashard Lewis is back, baby! And just 3 or 4 years overdue! Lewis led the Wizards with 16 points and 13 rebounds in a blowout over the Nets. Has ‘Shard grabbed 13 boards during his entire Orlando tenure? Washington got out to a fast start and never looked back, starting with a 21-3 run in the first quarter. The Nets shot so poorly (34%) that any comparable highlight is not worth mentioning, as they await the possible drive-by trade for Carmelo.

More blowouts with surprising stat lines as Boston cruised over the Raptors. In a twist of fate, Luke Harangody (yes, that Luke!) put up career-highs with 17 points and 11 rebounds to help Pierce (20 pts) and company reach 3,000 wins for the Celtics franchise overall. DeMar DeRozan led Toronto with 20 points in a tough loss, as the team shot well from the floor (40 of 79 shots) and got production from a variety of international one-trick ponies known as the Raptors. The key was being outrebounded 31-44 and outscored in the paint by Boston.

Another blowout?! Yes sir! Jason Richardson showed off his new “Don’t trade me, bro!” tattoo by leading the Magic with 18 points in a win over the Rockets. Orlando blew the game open in the 3rd quarter with a 19-5 run thanks to Richardson and Bass (18 pts) and overcame a 27-point night by Kevin Martin. With players starting to score up in the 40’s this season, who do you think will be the first to hit 50?

The Grizzlies made it three wins in a row with a victory over the Jazz, led by Rudy Gay’s 28 points. Surprisingly productive and always human random search target Zach Randolph added 26 points and 11 rebounds as Memphis extended their lead to as much as 14, forcing Utah into mistakes and turnovers and robbing them of any momentum late in the game. Deron Williams had 19 points and 6 assists but shot just 4 of 13 from the field. Utah being the comeback kings in the 4th quarter this season, shot themselves directly in the foot by committing 23 turnovers to lose their chance at a comeback. The Jazz haven’t lost two in a row since their 0-2 start to the season which can only mean one thing: Jerry Sloan is holding an early practice. By early, he means 4:14am at the latest.

Among the blowouts tonight, the basketball gods delivered a close game in the form of an overtime victory by the Heat over the Bucks. Chris Bosh (16 points, 12 rebounds) decided it was his time to have the ball in crunch time as he made key plays down the stretch, scoring 10 of his 16 points in the final quarter as well as overtime. After looking like a rout early, Bought (12 points, 27 rebounds) and company led their team back in the game as living mini-me Earl Boykins hit a layup to send it to overtime. Chris Douglas-Roberts (30 points off the bench) had himself a CDR game which made you rewind your VCR as you stare out the car and the bar. LeBron Lennon finished with 26 points, 10 rebounds, and a clutch block as Miami never trailed in overtime, grinding out a playoff-type win. Bogut did get some revenge, though. The Heat travel to Portland to face me and my boo’s on Sunday night.

Blowout numero 4 featured the Knicks hitting shots from Jersey in a rout over the Suns. New York hit 17 three-pointers (including scoring 38 points in the 3rd quarter alone) and Raymond Felton earned his first tripe-double with 23 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds. Amar’e finally felt wanted as he scored 23 against his former team while all Nash (14 points, 9 assists) could do was watch and hope that Stoudemire has a flashback and finishes a pick and roll dunk for old time’s sake. Another notable is the possibility of re-entering a cold war as Timofey Mozgov elbowed Robin Lopez with just over 3 minutes to play, screaming out obscenities which roughly translate to: “You better have a warm coat, because da cold war is coming…vodka tears”. If the Knicks can somehow manage to stay hot for a few games in a series, they might be a threat (assuming their opponent doesn’t play defense).

The Cavs dropped their 9th straight overall in a loss to the Warriors. Monta Ellis continued his All-Star campaign by putting up 32 points and 10 assists while David Lee contributed 22 points and 14 rebounds. Antawn Jamison slightly raised his trade value by scoring 21 points but the Cavs are suffering a lot more injuries to go with their insults. Leon Powe will be out at least 6 weeks after surgery on a torn meniscus in his right knee which brings Cleveland’s inactive players list to 5 players. Powe’s story is touching in every way and he’s a great person as well as player, best wishes to his recovery.

The Lakers are keeping pace in the west with a win over the Hornets. Kobe “all bone” Bryant had 25 points and moved into 9th place on the all-time scoring list while Pau Gasol added 21 points and 13 rebounds. David West led New Orleans with 23 points and 12 rebounds but the Hornets had trouble scoring in the paint against the twin towers while LA limited Chris Paul to just 12 points and 10 assists. Of course the big story here is DJ Mdenga finally getting his championship ring from the Lakers. What do Lakers fans think about Kobe’s knee? Can he play though it long enough to be effective in the playoffs? I mean we sittin’ here, I supposed to be a franchise Laker, and we talkin’ bout practice, man.

Celtics rookies would be wise to listen to KG, as his coach tells of former teammates who suffered as result of failing to do so. From the Boston Herald: “He helps the ones he likes,’ Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. ‘Kevin’s great, and I won’t use names, but Kevin tries to help every big that comes in here. If that big doesn’t listen to him one time, then he’ll never listen to him again. Literally. And that has happened a couple of times, and it’s been good for that guy. Now those two guys he did that to are no longer here, and that may be one of the reasons. If you’re not going to listen to Kevin when he’s trying to help you, then you probably messed up. But that’s Kevin. You talk about the Celtic Way, then just say Kevin Garnett and you’re pretty much there, because everything he does and says is about the team. The thing about Semih is that he didn’t think Semih was showing, his angles were bad, and it was affecting the team, and that’s what this was about.’ To Rivers’ earlier point about past teammates who didn’t listen, a post-practice session between Garnett and former C’s center Patrick O’Bryant from two years ago still comes to mind. Garnett spent the entire time dunking over the blank-faced O’Bryant and shouting, ‘Do you feel me?’ O’Bryant, who played very little and is now out of the NBA, obviously didn’t feel Garnett.”